DDOPDWiki:Style and formatting
This article details the style and formatting guidelines for creating and maintaining new articles about character builds. If you are new to the DDO Peramadeath Wiki, please read the whole guide to familiarize yourself with the build submission process before you start editing. By following this guide closely you can save yourself and others a lot of work. Creating a new build article Before you start Before creating a new build article, please look through the existing builds and see if a similar build is already available. If so, consider adding your build as a variant. If you decide to submit a new build, you have to create a new page for it, as described in the following section. Naming Always try to come up with a good descriptive name for your article. The following are ''examples of good build names: *Build:Drow Dual-Rapier Tempest-Kensei *Build:Dwarven BattleCleric Note the "Build:" in front of the name. Build articles have their own namespace on DDOPD Wiki, called "Build:". If you're not sure yet what the name of your new article should be, consider keeping it in your user space until you know. That is, replace the "Build:" with "User:YourUserName/" and give the build a generic name. For example, if your user name is Example, you would call it "User:Example/My New Build". Later, when the build is more complete, you can it to it's final destination. Creating the page To create a new build article in the Build namespace, you can go directly to the URL of your new build. For example, the "Drow Dual-Rapier Tempest-Kensei" page will be at http://ddopd.wikia.com/index.php?title=Build:Drow Dual-Rapier Tempest-Kense Note that the build "Drow Dual-Rapier Tempest-Kensei", used as an example here, already exists! To submit a new build article, you must give it a new name, following the naming conventions described above. Template The following is a barebones template of a new build article. Just copy and paste this text into your new page to get your build started. Describe the build. This should contain information about what makes it unique, as well as the reasons behind any class splashes. Classes } Requirements List any special requirements, such as unlocking of races, classes, or 32-point builds. Role Describe what type of build this is: melee, offensive caster, support caster, healer or some combination. Indicate if the build is more of a solo build, a grouping build, or both. Starting Attributes } * Suggest a few optional allocations, if desired. Progression Describe how the character should be leveled. You may cut-and-paste the output from the DDO Character Generator if you like. Special Equipment * Armor * Weapons Weaknesses Describe any key weaknesses. Variants List the major variants. Notes Add any additional notes pertaining to your build. Omit this section if it is not needed. See also Link to any articles that are related to your build. Omit this section if it is not needed. External links Links to pages that are not found in DDO PD should be placed here. These include videos, discussion threads, etc... Omit this section if it is not needed. Sections Category tag Begin the build article with a category tag, which shows the current state of development of the article: * as long as you are still assembling it, * if you're done with the article and would like others to review and comment on it, * when the build is ready for in-game testing and feedback. Please note: * Not more than one of these tags may be used on a single build article! * On a page in your user space, please do not use any of these tags. It might give readers a wrong impression of the build's status. * On an article in the build namespace, always use one of these tags. If in doubt, choose . Placing the tag will automatically assign the build to the corresponding categories. This function is disabled when a tag is used in user space. Summary Immediately give a short summary of the build. Do not give this summary a section title like "Overview" or "Introduction", as these titles are understood. It is generally preferred to begin the summary by stating outright what the build does. For example, the Drow Dual-Rapier Tempest-Kensei build begins as follows: A Drow Dual-Rapier Tempest-Kensei makes use of both the Ranger signature Prestige Enhancment, Tempest, as well as the Fight Enhancement, Kensei, to create a highly effective melee character. A splash of Rogue at the beginning provides the Evasion Feat, as well as the ability to function as a backup trapsmith and/or locksmith, enabling the character to function solo as well as in a group. Notice that the build is referred to in bold. This section should generally contain: * A mention of the defining characteristics of the build * An indication of whether the build is for soloing, group play, or both. Do not fill the introduction with: * A mention of every feat/enhancement used in the build * A list of skills/attributes and ranks * Detailed usage or limitations discussion. This introduction section should be no longer than one paragraph. Classes The classes template should be used to display the class mix of the character. This can be the character at level 20, or so lower level. As these builds are designed for permadeath play, it's quite acceptable to not provide a full 20 levels. However, it should include at least 10. Requirements List any special requirements, such as unlocking of races, classes, or 32-point builds. If Tomes are required, list them here, but in general, the use of Tomes should be avoided when making permadeath builds. Role The characters' expected role in a party setting, such as offensive caster, melee DPS, etc. Multiple roles are acceptable and in the case of solo builds, not listing any role at all is fine as well. Starting Attributes Use the attributes template * Suggest a few optional allocations, if desired. Progression Special Equipment List only the following: * Essential weapons * Essential armor Do not list clickies and other "nice to have" items. Weaknesses List any potential weakness of the build (low HP, poor AC, etc.) Variants List the principal variants of the build. * Try, as much as possible, to not suggest replacements for the key feats or enhancements in the build. * If a variant you suggest requires an entirely different style of playing, it should be in a different build article. * If what you're trying to do cannot be described on one or two lines, it is usually not a viable variant. Notes In this optional section, list information about the build that is not relevant to how to play it. Items of note might be a brief history of the build, or notes on whether the build is or was ad originally a non-PD build, etc. Try, as much as possible, to avoid adding this section. See Also In this optional section add references to related pages on DDOPDWiki. External Links In this optional section add references to related pages or well known external sources. Standard limitations on linking to external sites apply. Do not link to your guild's website. Testing Once the build is ready for community review, apply the tag. Style and formatting